DEEPAK CHOPRA answers seekers’ questions on abortion rights, talking spirituality at the workplace and silencing the mindThis is with reference to the recent and tragic case of Savita in Ireland who died due to pregnancy-related complications - on account of Irish law denying her an abortion that she asked when it was apparent that her life was in danger.

Should the mother’s life be put at risk in order to preserve the life of the unborn child? As a Catholic country, the practice in Ireland is to refuse abortion - in this case, even though it clearly meant risking the mother’s life. Of course, in the end, both the mother and the life she was carrying in her womb were lost. Mahalakshmi, 45, ChennaiI think that you won’t be surprised by my answer as a doctor - abortion is a medical decision that should be freely made between a woman and her physician. Letting a mother die in childbirth just to satisfy a theology-based law when it was medically possible to save her, is absurd. I feel that we need to strongly encourage nations with backward laws on abortion to change those laws based on medical knowledge, not going by priests’ ideas on what stage of a life it is worth saving or not. However, abortion opponents tend to be totally rigid and absolute. There is only so much tolerance that can be shown toward the intolerant. When an innocent person dies, tolerance isn’t enough. Reform must be fought for.

I’m a single, 32-year-old working woman. I was initiated into a shakti peeth or a goddess (chanting) tradition many years ago and had sublime spiritual experiences; something that I love to share with others, but often my colleagues feel uncomfortable when I talk about my practice. It makes me wonder whether people should discuss their exploration into spirituality at all. Should I keep my practice a closely guarded secret? Please advise.Archana Bhatia, 32, MumbaiThere is no cut-and-dried answer here. Ask yourself how many people you have made happier or brought to their own spiritual practice when you talk about your own. If the answer is few or none, that’s a good indication that you should not pursue this line of enthusiastic testimony. Maybe it’s just not you, maybe it’s the people who resist you. Either way, why try to plough a rocky field?

Yet I sympathise with your situation. After all, I talk about spiritual experiences myself and get real fulfilment when I see people waking up to new possibilities. See if you can find an outlet outside work. Find a group with an inspiring speaker and see if you can learn something. Above all, radiate the truth you’ve found. You will inspire more people by being the teaching than you ever can be talking about it. I hope this helps.

When I sit for meditation, there are times when my mind goes completely blank. In oriental meditation tradition, practice of silence is considered the first step in attaining the goal of Self-realisation, but I’m unable to understand how thoughtlessness can lead to nirvana; surely we need to train our mind to think in a certain direction. If that’s the case, then what should I focus on?Ajay Pal, 48, LucknowYou have hit upon a deep issue, one that creates much confusion. If you force your mind to be silent - or to use your word, ‘thoughtless’ - no good can come of the practice. You are squashing the thinking process only. When one part of the mind is opposed to the other, even in a spiritual cause, the result is suffering. Inner conflict isn’t the path to evolution. So let’s focus on what evolution really means.

In every physical state, two forces operate. One force, known as entropy, leads to the dissipation of energy and a decrease in complexity. Entropy causes an ice cube to evaporate and dissipate into the air; it causes a dead bird to decay and stars to burn out. But a second force, evolution, gathers energy, builds complex forms, and increases in complexity. It created life on Earth and caused us to evolve as a species with unlimited intelligence and creativity.

If evolution is natural for the human species, it should be a natural process inside you. Instead of using an arbitrary measure like “inner silence,” think in terms of “finding the evolutionary impulse in me.” When you contact the evolutionary impulse inside your mind, there is nothing to force or struggle over. You participate in your own unfoldment.

The same thing happened when you learnt to read as a child. Your brain had reached the ripe state for learning to read. You desired this new attainment. You enjoyed learning the alphabet and eventually reading stories. If you can translate the same qualities to your spiritual life, you will be consciously evolving, and nothing better can be asked.

So seek out a meditation group or guru who fulfils your need. The teaching should be filled with happiness and contentment among the practitioners. You should be fulfilled in your own life by meditating. There should be visible signs that your existence is rising on both the inner and outer levels. These are not easy requirements to meet, but they are necessary. Turn your seeking in the direction I am outlining, and questions about inner silence and the nature of the mind will fade away as problems.

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